Mindfulness-Based Interventions as Holistic Strategy for Psychiatric Nurse Burnout: A Narrative Review.
Julnar Nizar Hasan, Lara Sassine
Holistic Nursing Practice July 21, 2026 DOI: 10.1097/hnp.0000000000000799 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Psychiatric nurses |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Eight-week MBSR programs showed large effect sizes for reducing burnout (standardized mean difference: -4.27 for emotional exhaustion, -2.89 for depersonalization). In psychiatric nurses, 75% achieved meaningful burnout reduction versus 40% of controls, with benefits persisting at 3-month follow-up. |
Abstract
Psychiatric nurses experience elevated burnout rates due to emotionally demanding environments. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have emerged as promising strategies for burnout reduction. This study aimed to examine evidence on MBIs for reducing burnout in psychiatric nurses through narrative synthesis. Systematic CINAHL search (January 2025) using Boolean operators yielded 276 articles. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, 12 studies (2020-2024) were selected examining mindfulness interventions and burnout outcomes in nursing populations. Eight-week MBSR programs demonstrated large effect sizes (standardized mean difference: -4.27 for emotional exhaustion, -2.89 for depersonalization). In psychiatric nurses, 75% achieved meaningful burnout reduction versus 40% controls. Benefits persisted at 3-month follow-up. MBIs represent evidence-based strategies for nursing burnout, particularly in psychiatric settings. Implementation requires organizational support. Future research should examine long-term sustainability and psychiatric nursing-specific adaptations.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cites 7
- Effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on burnout, resilience and sleep quality among nurses: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMC Nursing July 1, 2025
- Implementing Brief Mindfulness-Based Interventions to Reduce Compassion Fatigue. Critical Care Nurse October 1, 2023
- Guided self-help mindfulness-based intervention for increasing psychological resilience and reducing job burnout in psychiatric nurses: A randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Nursing Practice September 19, 2023
- Effect of an Online Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Intervention on Postpandemic Era Nurses' Subjective Well-being, Job Burnout, and Psychological Adaptation Holistic Nursing Practice September 1, 2023
- Effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions on psychological well-being, burnout and post-traumatic stress disorder among nurses: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Nursing February 20, 2022
and 2 more in the library